Last updated: September 27, 2026
The Standard Possession Order (SPO) is the default visitation schedule in Texas. It applies to the parent who does not hold the exclusive right to decide where the child lives. The SPO is governed by Texas Family Code §§ 153.311 through 153.317 and is one of the most important components of any SAPCR or conservatorship order.
What Is the Standard Possession Order in Texas?
The Family Code and Texas courts call this schedule the standard possession order, usually abbreviated SPO. Parents more often call it standard visitation. Both names refer to the same schedule set out in §§ 153.311–153.317, and this page uses the statutory term throughout.
Under § 153.311, the SPO applies to a joint managing conservator or possessory conservator. It is designed to give the noncustodial parent regular, predictable access to the child. The Texas Legislature has determined that the SPO represents a reasonable minimum possession schedule for a fit parent.
Under § 153.258, if the court deviates from the SPO, the court must state in the order its reasons for the variance from the standard schedule.
Parents Living Within 100 Miles of Each Other
Under § 153.312, when the parents reside within 100 miles of each other, the noncustodial parent has the right to possession of the child:
Regular Weekend Possession
- 1st, 3rd, and 5th weekends of each month
- Beginning at 6:00 PM on Friday and ending at 6:00 PM on Sunday
Thursday Possession During School
- Every Thursday during the regular school term
- Beginning at 6:00 PM and ending at 8:00 PM
Definition of "School"
§ 153.3101 defines "school" for purposes of the SPO. It means the school the child is enrolled in. If the child is not enrolled in a primary or secondary school, it means the school district where the child mainly lives.
Parents Living More Than 100 Miles Apart
Under § 153.313, when the parents reside more than 100 miles apart, the noncustodial parent has the right to possession:
- One weekend per month (either the 1st, 3rd, or 5th weekend, at the noncustodial parent's election with 14 days' advance notice)
- Spring vacation: Every year, from school dismissal to school resumption
- Extended summer: 42 consecutive days (rather than the 30-day standard for parents within 100 miles)
The parent exercising the 100+ mile schedule does not have the weekly Thursday possession during the school term.
Holiday Possession Schedule
Under § 153.314, holidays take priority over the regular weekend schedule. The holidays alternate between parents in even and odd years:
Even-Numbered Years (One Parent Gets)
- Spring vacation: From school dismissal to school resumption
- Thanksgiving: From school dismissal on the day before Thanksgiving to 6:00 PM on the Sunday following Thanksgiving
- Christmas (first half): From school dismissal on the last day before Christmas vacation to noon on December 28
Odd-Numbered Years (Same Parent Gets)
- Christmas (second half): From noon on December 28 to school resumption after Christmas vacation
- Thanksgiving: Alternates to the other parent
Additional Holiday Periods
The SPO covers other days too. It addresses the child's birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and any other holidays the order names.
Summer Possession
The noncustodial parent is entitled to 30 days of extended summer possession for parents living within 100 miles. The parent must give written notice to the custodial parent by April 1 specifying the 30-day period. If notice is not given by April 1, the default summer period is July 1 through July 31.
The custodial parent also has the right to designate one weekend during the noncustodial parent's summer possession. The custodial parent must give written notice by April 15 of the weekend they intend to exercise.
Alternative Beginning and Ending Times
Under § 153.317, the court may order or the parties may agree to alternative beginning and ending times for possession periods. The most common alternative is:
- Beginning: From the time of school dismissal (instead of 6:00 PM Friday)
- Ending: At the time of school resumption the following Monday (instead of 6:00 PM Sunday)
This alternative effectively extends the weekend from Friday afternoon through Monday morning, and the noncustodial parent is responsible for getting the child to school on Monday morning.
Automatic Alternative Times for Parents Within 50 Miles
Distance changes this. If the parents live within 50 miles of each other, the alternative times apply automatically — school dismissal to school resumption — unless the court orders otherwise. This provision was enacted to maximize the child's time with the noncustodial parent when geographic distance is not a barrier.
Supervised Visitation in Texas Custody Cases
The SPO assumes that the noncustodial parent is a fit parent with unsupervised access. If the court has concerns about the child's safety — due to family violence, substance abuse, or other factors — the court may order supervised visitation instead of the SPO. Supervised visitation requires a third party to be present during the noncustodial parent's periods of possession.
Enforcement of Texas Standard Possession Order
If either parent violates the possession order, the other parent may file a Motion for Enforcement under Texas Family Code Chapter 157. Violations can result in contempt of court, fines, jail time, and modification of the order. The court takes violations of possession orders seriously because consistent, reliable access to both parents is considered essential to the child's well-being.
Denied Possession and Court-Ordered Counseling: What Changed in 2025
Two 2025 laws change what a court can do when one parent keeps a child from the other, and what counseling it can order when parents are in conflict over a child. Neither uses the term “parental alienation” — as of September 27, 2026 no provision of the Texas Family Code does — but both reach the situations in which that claim is usually made.
Repeated denial of possession (H.B. 3181, effective September 1, 2025)
In every case, the court must now order make-up time for possession or access that was denied, unless a party shows good cause why it should not (§ 157.168(a)). The make-up time must be of the same type and length as what was denied, may include weekend, holiday and summer possession, must take place within two years of the court’s finding, and is scheduled by the parent who was denied (§ 157.168(a-2), (b)).
Stronger consequences apply when a court holds a parent in contempt for denying court-ordered possession or access and that parent has already been held in contempt at least three times over possession or access:
- the finding is a material and substantial change of circumstances that can support modifying conservatorship or possession (§ 156.107);
- the court may not place the parent on community supervision in place of commitment (§ 157.165(b));
- the court may not waive the order to pay the other parent’s attorney’s fees and costs (§ 157.167(e)); and
- the make-up time must total twice the time that was denied (§ 157.168(d)).
The wording of the prior-contempt requirement differs slightly from section to section, so read the one that applies. The modification, supervision and make-up-time provisions apply to suits pending on or filed after September 1, 2025; the fee rule applies only to enforcement orders rendered on or after that date (H.B. 3181, section 6).
Limits on court-ordered counseling (H.B. 3783, effective June 20, 2025)
A court may order parents who have a history of conflict over conservatorship or possession to take part in family counseling (§ 153.010(a)). Since June 20, 2025, two limits apply:
- If credible evidence of family violence or sexual abuse is presented, the court may not order the victim into counseling sessions together with the perpetrator, or order the victim to pay any of the cost (§ 153.010(c)).
- The court may not order counseling whose provider requires isolating the child from family, school, religious or other community — including preventing contact with a parent or other family member; an overnight or multi-day stay out of state or elsewhere; transporting the child by force, threat of force or undue coercion; a change in either conservator’s possession or access; or the use of force, threats, undue coercion or verbal abuse against the child (§ 153.010(d)).
These limits apply to suits pending on or filed after June 20, 2025. The Legislature also made the change itself a material and substantial change of circumstances sufficient to warrant modifying a possession order rendered before that date (H.B. 3783, sections 2–3). A separate 2025 bill to regulate reunification therapy directly, H.B. 3515, did not pass.
“Parental alienation” is a contested idea. Some clinicians and evaluators describe a pattern in which one parent turns a child against the other, and argue that courts need tools to respond in severe cases. Critics, including domestic-violence advocates, argue that the claim is used to explain away a child’s reasons for rejecting an abusive parent. As the Texas Tribune reported, it is not recognized by the American Psychological Association and is not in the DSM-5. This section describes what the statutes say; it does not take a side on the concept. If your case involves an alienation or abuse claim, talk to a Texas family lawyer.
When Texas Courts Deviate from the Standard Possession Order
While the SPO is the presumptive schedule, the court may deviate from it when circumstances warrant. Common reasons for deviation include:
- The child is under three years of age (the court may impose a more graduated schedule)
- Safety concerns requiring supervised or restricted visitation
- A parent's work schedule that conflicts with the standard times
- The child's special needs or extracurricular schedule
Under § 153.258, the court must state its reasons in the order for any deviation from the SPO.